Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Dear Computer

Please don't get another virus. Please!

I was in sheer panic mode when we came home from a night away to find that our computer had been infected with a virus. I don't care so much about the recipe book I've spent years creating, or the spreadsheet that makes sure my bank account is balanced, or the patterns for projects that I have. I don't care about Ben's fantasy baseball team (although he really does), I don't care about Facebook or Twitter (mostly because I access them from my phone), I don't even care about this blog. I was, however, in full on panic mode over my pictures. I have been using my Shutterfly site as a back up for my pictures. However, I've been neglecting uploading them. I share a lot of pictures on Facebook, but not all of them (I know..hard to believe when you look at all the ones I upload to Facebook). I foolishly also haven't backed anything up to discs lately. Not smart, I know. All I could think of was that I was going to lose all my pictures from the last year. All of Brinna's birth pictures, all of the pictures from her first Christmas..all of it. I sat at my computer and cried. And cried some more. I called Best Buy and they wanted a small fortune to retrieve my files and get rid of the virus on my computer. I honestly could have almost bought a new computer for what they wanted to charge me. I cried some more.Then, like any true modern day woman, I hit up Facebook. I KNEW someone on my friends list could help me. I was right. An old friend from Bowling Green came to my rescue. He gave me detailed instructions on how to activate the Safe Mode on my computer (Alt F8 upon starting the computer and hold till it beeps). It worked! I was able to run a virus scan and TADA! No more virus! Peter Lunn (hope you don't mind me sharing your name here Pete!) you saved the day! Many thanks to you, my friend! :)And what have I learned from this experience (other than Facebook is really valuable, despite what my husband thinks), you may ask? Don't open emails from people you don't know. (Yes Ben I'm looking at you)